Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-17
IrrigatiOn.


rule moist lands are not so good for
fruit, and the orchards and vineyards
are therefore mostly confined to the
high and dry lands that are irrigated,
while the general farming is confined
to the low, moist lands.
In the eastern portions of San Ber-
nardino valley, near San Gorgonio
Pass. there are thousands of acres OF
land that usually mature a good crop
of wheat or barley. This land is
naturally dry and has no water for
irrigation purposes, but the character
of the soil and general surroundings is
such that small grain crops are usually
a success.
The sources of water supply for irri-
CATION purposes are many, and none
of them are very large.
The Santa Ana river, where it comes
out from the mountains, furnishes
water for the north and south fork
bitches. The north fork ditch fur
nishes water for Highlands and the
Cram settlement. The south fork
ditch supplies water for Lugonia.
Brookside and Redlands.
Mill creek comes down from the
mountains a few miles southeast OF
the Santa Ana river, and furnish water
for Grafton and Old San Bernardino.
A stream running down from the
south slope of San Bernardino Noun
tain furnishing water for Banning
City Creek, west OF the Santa Ana
river, furnishes water for Il portion OF
Highlands.
The stream from DEVILS Canon sup
plies water for portion of the Muscu-
piabe rancho.
Lytle Greek, coming down from Old
Badly, west of Cajon Pass, irrigates
Mt. Vernon and vicinity.
Etiwanda Canon irrigates the settle
ment by that name.
Another small stream furnishes
water for Hermosa.
Cucamonga is irrigated by a stream
fed by springs that rise just north of
that settlement.
Cucamonga cation irrigates the
Iowa tract.
San Antonio caiion, on the line be-
tween Los Angeles and San Bernar-
dino Counties is equally divided be-
tween Ontario, on the San Bernardino
side, and Pomona and other lands, on
the Los Angeles side.
San Bernardino is situated in the
midst of moist lands where artesian
wells can be had anywhere by going
to a moderate depth.
Warm creek rises from springs in
the main valley away from any noun
tains. This creek flows into the Santa
of
with the waters of that stream that
rise within few miles of the june
tion.
The Meeks & Daley ditch is taken
from Warm creek and irrig ties sec
ton of country below Cotton.
The Santa Ana river in ordinary
seasons is dry for many mile below
where all the water is taken out to
supply North and South Fork bitches.
The waters of Warm creek and other
smaller tributaries, however, furnish
a good stream again, which is taken
out by the two Riverside canals to ir-
rigate Riverside. In dry seasons
these two canals take all the surface
water out of the river at these points,
leaving the underflow to come to the
surface below; but Spring brook,
which rises just northwest OF River
side, replenishes the stream again.
The Jurupa ditch is taken out of the
Santa Ana river, that irrigates West
Riverside.
The Yorba settlement, including the
property of the South Riverside Vine
yard Company, located on the Santa
Ana river sixteen miles below River
side, again takes all the surface water
out of the river for that settlement,
but other streams coming in from the
north side OF the river make good
stream that goes down to supply irri-
CATION water for settlements IN Los
Angeles county.
One of these feeders is short
stream that comes from a single spring
that, summer and winter, furnishes
$50 inches OF water that runs a grist
mill within mile of the spring.
There are other small, natural
water supplies, but we have enumer-
ated the principal ones in this county.
A stream of water for irrigation pur-
poses in this valley is considered well
worth $1,000 an inch measured in an
ordinary midsummer, and some water
rights are selling at a higher figure.
Hence every small stream that can be
utilized is made valuable. The value
of water is of course dependent to
certain extent on its location, Tor
small stream that will develop a small
settlement is not so valuable per inch
as large stream that will make pos
sible larger settlement.
About all the natural supplies OF
water having been utilized, people
have turned their attention to the de-
yelopment of water. This is done in
three ways:
1st-Artesian wells.
2d-Tunnels.
3d-Reservoirs.
There are artesian belts where flow
ing wells can be readily and cheaply
obtained. The artesian belt in this
valley is now pretty well defined, and
outside of this belt experiments are
made at great risk. Usually flowing
water is obtained in the moist and
semi-moist land and very rarely on
the high mesa lands.
Tunnels are being used now to save
the underhow of mountain streams.
Two are now in process OF construction
in this county.
Judson & Brown have one in the
bed of the Santa river below where
the water is taken out of the stream to
supply the North and South Fork
bitches.
The Ontario Land Company have
driven a tunnel in under San Antonio
creek distance OF nearly l,S0O feet,
at a cost of about $25 900, and they
have about $50 inches of water, worth
a quarter of a million OF dollars.
There are scores of places in the
county where tunnels can be run in
under the beds of streams where they
come out of the cailOns upon the
plains, and the underfow saved for ir-
rigation purposes.
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